michaelmistretta.com

Engadget published their extensive review of the T-Mobile G1. In summary: the hardware is pathetic, the software is mediocre, and the battery life is one-third that of an iPhone. Still, it’s open. That’s gotta count for something, right?

All the tech pundits seem to be giving Android a free pass. Reading through the review, negative after negative is listed. But still, the majority of the comments are somewhere along the lines of: “Android has potential”, “it’s gonna get better”, and “it’s not bad for version 1.0″. The G1 may have been acceptable in a world of Treos from 2004. But times have changed. The iPhone 3G at $199 has raised the bar and set a new standard for which the G1 has to reach.

From what I’ve seen—not just heard open-source fanatics talk about—the Android hardware and software have been massive failures up to this point. Sure, an open platform would be nice to have, but at what cost? It’s not even about the experience anymore—I just want a phone that will work.

I still believe there’s hope for the Android platform, but the G1 is definitely not it.